As one of the Western alliance’s most prominent members, the UK also is in the forefront of the West’s increasing challenges to Russia’s aggressive policies in the Middle East and its near abroad, those nations on the Russian periphery.

It is NATO, not the EU, that provides for European security, and the July 8 NATO Summit in Warsaw doubtless will be watched closely throughout Europe, the UK and in Russia for signs of any slacking resolve in carrying out its security requirements.

Senior officials in Moscow already are offering preliminary comments on the Brexit vote but more importantly calculating what long-term benefits, if any, their nation may derive from the referendum. Their public statements indicate, predictably, that national self-interest is the driving force in their perspectives.